Harrison Ford is "doing well" after surgery for an on-set injury while filming the new Star Wars movie, as it emerged he broke his leg in the accident.

The 71-year-old star, who is returning to his role as Han Solo in the new movie, was originally thought to have damaged his ankle when the mishap occurred during filming at Pinewood Studios.

But a spokeswoman for the star has now said it was a broken leg, although she did not go into any further detail, but said the actor was looking forward to getting back to work.

Harrison, who played Solo in the original trilogy of films, has been in the UK working on Episode VII of the series with director JJ Abrams.

Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia Organa, and Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker - are also reviving their characters after more than 30 years.

Harrison was airlifted to hospital in Oxford a week ago after the incident, which police said involved a garage door, although there have been suggestions some it could have been the door of Star Wars spacecraft the Millennium Falcon. His publicist said: "Harrison Ford's left leg was broken in an accident. His surgery was successful and he will begin rehab shortly. He's doing well and looks forward to returning to work."

Disney, which owns Lucasfilm the company behind Star Wars, said after the incident that shooting would continue as planned while the star - also well known for his appearances in Indiana Jones - recovered.